Trouble Triangle (Tyler's Trouble Trilogy) (9 page)

"Like, you were so brave. Did you call the police?"

"No. You know what they keep telling us about when we're out on the town and not to bring discredit upon the Navy." I looked at her sincerely. It looked like she was buying it. "The girls couldn't act as witnesses, because they split, so it would've looked like we were just fighting for the hell of it."

"You poor thing. Let me get you some ice and a cold beer." She went to the kitchen.

Gullible is good. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

#

Debbie and I met up as usual Monday morning, standing between our shops, enjoying the nicotine pulsating through
our veins before the workday.

"So, good weekend, Tyler?" She took a drag and forcefully exhaled.

"Well, you know, put on the Superman cape, and saved a couple of chicks from getting raped by some locals." I took a drag and shot her a sideways glance. She smiled. "Actually, I was more Batman, and Mark was Robin. But we kept the bad guys from getting into the
Batcave
.
That's what's important."

Debbie choked as she took a drag. "What a crock of shit," she said with a grin. "I happened to have breakfast with Sanchez this morning." Her smile broadened, if that was possible. "He saw your performance at Jezebel's Friday night,
or should I say, lack of it."

"Oh, shit." I twirled my cigarette in my hand. "Who else knows?"

"Don't know. You'd have to ask Sanchez."

"If Holly finds out, I'm dead."

She fanned her hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Forget that a minute. Have you thought anymore about whether you're going to help me find my true identity or not?" She pushed her lips to one side. "You're not going to get too many offers to have unconditional sex with a potential, or past, lesbian
ya
know?"

I laughed. I loved her sense of humor. That had always been part of her attraction. "I'm still recovering from the groin pull, and with the ass kicking I just took, well it might be a little while before I'm fit for action."

"I think you're trying to put me off. Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that you're not still giving it to Holly?"

"Oh. Well, umm…well, what if she finds out?"

She laughed. "You go out and try to fuck a stripper on stage, with maybe half the base watching, and you're worried about your girlfriend finding out that you're getting a little private
nookie
on the side?" She smacked her forehead. "Give me a break. Look, I told you, I'm not trying to lure you into any kind of relationship. You get sex, no strings attached."

"Well, except for the fact that I did something stupid over the weekend, I try to be faithful in my relationships."

Debbie smirked. "Bullshit. You've told me about too many of your past exploits, remember? And I don't buy that you're so hung up on Holly that you want her to have your babies. Trust me, she's a user. If you have fallen for her, which I doubt, she'll break your heart. Does she have something on you?"

"Course not." I swiped my upper lip. "I just want to give her a fair shot. Why would you ask something like that?"

"Tyler, we've spent many a night in the Dolphin's getting hammered. You've spilled your guts on more than one occasion. So I know you're not the relationship type. You've conquered Mount Holly, or should I say, you mounted Holly for a jolly. I thought you'd be moving on by now. What happened to the 'find '
em
, feel '
em
, fuck '
em
, forget '
em
, Chambers' motto?"

"Don't you believe people change?"

She snickered. "Not you. Now, are you going to help me with my dilemma or not?" She placed her hand on mine. "This is really important to me, Tyler. I want it to be you because I trust you. But if you still insist on shining Knight's armor, I'll just pick up some guy from a bar downtown."

I rubbed my temples. "God. You really do know how to mess with a guy's head. I can't let you pick up some drunken loser in one of the most important issues of your life." I sighed. "If I agree, you promise you won't tell Holly?"

She ran her finger over her chest in an 'x' fashion. "Cross my heart."

Holly wasn't like a real girlfriend. We needed each other for now, but I was sure it would fizzle out soon enough. Debbie never treated me like a baby. She respected me and she was hot. And this was just a favor to her. She needed to assess her feelings, so it wasn't like I was really cheating on Holly. I was just
helping a confused friend.

"Okay. There's a motel in Aiea, away from the base and everything else. A little mom and pop place, 'Pacific Breeze Motor Lodge'. How about Saturday night?"

She beamed. "I won't even ask how you know about the Pacific Breeze motel, but thank you so much." She rapidly clapped her hands with excitement. "You really are a true friend. I can hardly wait."

"Yeah, me neither."

Saturday evening rolled around and I looked forward to my date with Debbie. What a contrast. Holly said there would be no sex on our first date. Debbie insisted our first date was all about sex. I rooted through my wardrobe and went with black parachute pants and a white cotton button up shirt, only done up halfway. Mark came into the dorm room as I p
acked my toiletry bag.

"You're a bit dressed up. Where you taking Holly?" he asked.

"
Umm
, I'm not going out with Holly. Promise to keep quiet?"

He nodded.

"I'm going out with Debbie."

"What? You're
takin
'
Debbie
to dinner?"

"Well, if you consider burgers in a motel room dinner, then maybe. I booked us a room at a motor lodge." I smiled.

"So you're
gonna
do it." He grinned and shook his head. "You know, there's a small matter of the fact that Debbie's a lesbian. Don't tell me you're trying to convert her. She can't help it, you know."

"Hey, she asked me. It's more complicated than that. She's not sure if she's gay or not." I splashed on some aftershave then put the bottle in my bag. "Her head's all screwed up at the moment and she needs some help sorting it out."

Mark laughed. "Yeah, right. So she comes running to Tyler Chambers, the one guy who has his head screwed on straight. Okay, Doctor Freud, I can just hear it now." He deepened his voice and stroked his chin, "Well, Miss Meyers, the recommended treatment I suggest is for you take all your clothes off, and we have intercourse. If you don't enjoy it, you're gay."

He went to his wardrobe and changed his shirt. "You really do have a high opinion of yourself, don't you? Well, I hope she wants to go back to women after you get done with her. That would teach
ya
. The more I think about, the more I come to realize that you and Holly are well suited for each other. Except I don't know how the two of you get into one car together. Those ego-inflated, swelled heads of yours must take up one hell of a lot of room." He shook his head.

"Ever heard of justifiable intercourse?"

"No. Justifiable homicide, yeah. 'Cause if Holly finds out, that's what she's
gonna
plead after she blows your head off. Man, your brain belongs in a museum. It's a piece of work."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Gotta
go. Motel Sex awaits.
Laters
."

#

I arrived at the motel and checked in. I nervously waited for Debbie to arrive. Most of my sex had been spontaneous in the past, not on demand. I smiled as I thought about being a long time married couple and setting
predetermined days to have sex.

- It's Saturday night,
dear; you know what that means?

- Oh, bu
t of course. Meat loaf and sex.

- Could we have hot dogs or tacos tonight, dear? Meat loaf probably isn't the right dish to serve on sex night.

The room didn't offer any extra frills. A queen size bed sat in the center of the room, with the wall behind the headboard chipped and dented. A standing lamp on the opposite side, a desk under the window, a table with two chairs on the other side of the room, and a TV. Clean, yet it retained a feeling that a certain amount of debauchery had taken place over the years. The paper
strip over the toilet insisting it had been cleaned offered reassurance that there was no VD lurking under the toilet seat.

I cracked open one of the twelve beers I had brought with me and drank from the can. I turned on the radio and waved an imaginary drumstick as Joan Jett sang
I Love Rock and Roll
. A knock at the door raised my heart rate. I checked myself in the mirror to make sure my hair didn't look stupid. I checked my breath and cursed myself for forgetting mints. After one last wipe of my hands on my jeans, I went to the door and opened it. There stood Debbie.

She looked beautiful wearing a floral print dress. She wore more make-up than usual. The increased highness of her cheekbones made her blue eyes dazzle. The orchid behind her ear complimented her blonde, shoulder-length hair. The dress stopped just above the knees, showing off the rest of her tanned legs. Her high heels added another two or three inches to her height.

"You look stunning," I said. "Please, come in."  She walked past me and looked around the room.

"Nice," she commented. She turned around to face me.

I produced a single red rose from behind my back, and offered it to her. "For you. Beauty begets beauty."

She smiled, took it out of my hand and smelled it. "It's lovely. Thank you."

"Would you like a beer? They're still cold." I moved toward the dresser where the Coors sat in its self-proclaimed 'Keep '
em
Cold Twelve Pack' box.

"No thanks. I want to be sober for this."

"Oh, I see. Hope you don't mind if I have a few." I held my hand out flat and gave an exaggerated nervous shake. "Might just help steady the nerves."

"You're nervous? Thank God." She wiped pretend sweat from  her forehead. "I thought it was just me."

"Yeah, I am a little. Why don't we sit down and talk for a while. I'd like to know a little more about what's going on."

Debbie went to the bathroom and got herself a glass of water. She returned to the room and we sat on the chairs by the table. She took a sip. I downed a mouthful of Coors. We both lit a cigarette. I looked at her while she looked at the floor.

"So, Debbie, you're not sure if you're gay or not," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "What happened to the people who say you're born that way and can't help it?"

She looked up at me. "I really do think some people are that way. I thought I was, maybe still am. I don't know. Holly came onto me. I won't go into all the details, but she—"

"No, please." I touched her hand. "Go into all the details you want. I want to hear everything. I can handle it." I smiled.

"You're such a
perv
. Have you ever thought about two women doing it?"

"Of course."

"Good. I don't want to disappoint you with reality, so let's just leave it in your mind." Her face remained solemn.  "Anyway, Holly made the first move and it was the best sex I ever had. Probably the thrill of something new. I can't tell you how flattered I was that a woman as good-looking as her came onto me." She pointed to herself. "I was in awe of her beauty, and she wanted me."  She took a deep breath and sipped her water. "Anyway," she continued, "I figured, we were drunk, and it was a
one time
thing. But she kept coming 'round to my room or inviting me over to her place, and we always had amazing sex. It felt like we were a proper couple. I fell in love and told her one night. That freaked her out. She started calling me a
lesbo
, and…well, let's just say she got really nasty. She never spoke to me again."

"So why'd you think Holly played the game?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe because I kept telling her how lucky I felt and how beautiful she was. She's got a really big ego that needs regular stroking, but I'm sure you already figured that out. I think for her, it was a drunken encounter, then experimental, and then being flattered. I really did idolize her, and she knew it. If she snapped her fingers, I jumped. No doubt she liked the power."

"Wow. I always figured she could be a bit mean, but that's below the belt calling you names and everything." I took another drink and noticed Debbie staring down at the carpet in what looked like a visit to the past. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know how you meant it. No worries. Anyway, we were together for four months, so I figured that was what I was. I had a few other girlfriends after that. I thought me and Lisa were solid. She turned out to be a lying, cheating bitch, and I started thinking again about what it would be like to be in a relationship where I didn't have to sneak around, keep it hidden and not be able to tell anyone." She wiped away a tear. "Tyler, I don't know if I'm gay or not. I thought you'd be a good way to find out. You strike me as a guy who can turn off his emotions. I don't want a stalker if I turn out to be any good at this hetero stuff."